Customer Reviews

Relics

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Relics" is a collection of very early Pink Floyd singles and rare tracks, covering the band's first couple of years from 1967 to 1969. Consider it "Pink Floyd: The Early Years," if you like. Five tracks come from the group's first three albums: the classic, trippy instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive" and the half children's song/half freak-out number, "Bike" (both from "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn"), the breezy "Remember A Day" (from "A Saucerful Of Secrets"), and a pair of tunes from the "More" movie soundtrack: the eerie "Cirrus Minor," and the thunderous rocker, "The Nile Song." All superb stuff, but the main selling point of "Relics" are the six rare Floyd tracks that make up the remainder, such as the classic early singles "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play," both great little blasts of late-60's psychedelic pop, the jaunty "Paintbox," and the lovely, mysterious atmosphere of "Julia Dream." Also included is the original studio version of "Careful With That Axe, Eugene," an outstanding Floyd instrumental that's probably more famous in it's live version from the "Ummagumma" album. Although the live version of "Eugene" IS more monstrous and powerful, as the Floyd were able to slowly build it up and expand on it in concert, the slightly-faster studio version is nothing to sneeze at either, and the band give it a studio performance that's very impressive, skillful, and passionate. And finally, there is what is quite possibly the happiest, most upbeat song in the entire Pink Floyd catalog, "Biding My Time." Although the song starts out softly, before long the band turn it into a full-throttle jazz-rock rave-up, complete with horn section! Sounds to me like the Floyd had a grand ol' time in the studio when they recorded this number, and it shows. Love it! Pink Floyd's "Relics" may indeed be, as the album cover says, "a bizarre collection of antiques & curios," but oh, is it good. Floyd fans everywhere should definitely add this album to their collection.

I'm not going to comment much on the music; you've probably been able to gather that "Relics" contains five tracks from the first three Pink Floyd albums plus six non-album tracks from the same time period (1967-69). It's somewhat of an odd collection that I'd give 3-1/2 stars to for just the music.

HOWEVER...I'd like to point out some issues that none of the previous reviewers have mentioned. First, this CD has obvious audio defects. "Interstellar Overdrive" has at least five audio dropouts. "Paint Box" and "Julia Dream" each have a moment where one channel loses the high end. To add insult to injury, the track times printed on the CD seem to correspond to the "More" CD, not "Relics", and the booklet is a complete waste of paper that omits the minimal information (recording dates) from the original US LP.

I bought this CD to replace the LP, but in this case the LP was better. Capitol Records should be embarrassed.

During the early days of Punk, Johnny Rotten was famed for his "I hate Pink Floyd" T-shirt. Ironically, the Sex Pistols tried to enlist the band's founder, the elusive Syd Barrett, to produce their first album. Why? Because the '67-era Floyd were every bit as groundbreaking as the Pistols were in '77.

Proof comes in the form of Relics, re-released as part of Capitol's remastering of the group's back catalog. A collection of singles and album tracks, this disc kicks off with three Barrett diamonds, "Arnold Layne," the awe-inspiring "Interstellar Overdrive," and "See Emily Play." Barrett's drug-induced psychological breakdown led to his replacement by David Gilmour in 1968, but not before he graced Rick Wright's "Remember a Day" with mournfully loopy slide guitar work.

Relics' Roger Waters-era highlights include "Cirrus Minor," "The Nile Song," and a personal favorite, "Careful With That Axe, Eugene." The disc closes with Barrett's "Bike," further proof that Syd wasn't like the rest of us anymore.

Relics surprises at every turn, mixing pop songcraft, avant-garde deconstructionism, and eerie melody. It's a much-needed boarding pass to a place few minds have dared journey.

Released in 1971, Relics presents a great compilation of various studio tracks taken from the albums Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967); A Saucerful of Secrets (1968); and the soundtrack to the film More (1969) along with a few outtakes and tracks released as singles recorded during the 1967-1971 timeframe. Although the cover to this remastered CD is very different from the LP I had as a kid (with the grotesque, four-eyed heads on it) the music is the same and sounds as good now as it did when I first listened to it. Although I am not a huge fan of compilations, Relics holds together very well as a complete work and captures a much neglected period in the career of Pink Floyd.

Two lineups are represented on Relics including the 1967 group comprised of Rick Wright (mellotron, piano, organ, and vocals); Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals); Nick Mason (drums and percussion); and Syd Barrett (vocals, electric guitar; slide guitar). After Syd left the band, David Gilmour (electric and acoustic guitars; vocals) joined somewhere around 1968.

My favorite tracks include the lengthy freak-out Interstellar Overdrive; the spacey, mellotron heavy, Julia Dream; the two pieces by Rick Wright (Remember a Day and Paintbox); the lazily drifting Cirrus Minor; and the scary track Careful with that Axe, Eugene. Of course, at the opposite end of the spectrum is the bone-crushing volume of The Nile Song. Biding my Time was recorded around the time of the Meddle recording sessions (1971) and is not bad at all - in fact, I wish it had been included on Meddle instead of San Tropez and Seamus. All in all, I think the tracks selected nicely sum up the alternately dreamy and frightening space rock "vibe" of Pink Floyd's pre-Dark Side of the Moon (1973) output.

This remastered CD is OK and features decent sound quality along with a glossy insert without any useful information at all. Come to think of it, this remastered CD is a bit sloppy - for example, the times listed on the CD for some of the tracks (e.g. Interstellar Overdrive) are way off. Notwithstanding, this is recommended along with Piper at the Gates of Dawn; A Saucerful of Secrets; More; Ummagumma (1969); Atom Heart Mother (1970); Meddle (1971); and Obscured by Clouds (1972). Ultimately, Relics should serve as a great introductory sampler for those folks that are curious about the early and extremely psychedelic phase of Pink Floyd.

This is still a decent compilation album. It contains Paintbox, Julia Dream, Biding My Time and Careful with That Axe, Eugene (studio version). All are hard to find and thats what makes this great for Floyd completists who have to have everything. Some say the sound quality isnt as great. I dont really hear any noticeable difference at all. Good for Floyd fans and fans of music in general.

not much i can say that hasn't already been said about Pink Floyd's 'Relics', except that every song on this particular tracklist flows extremely together well like a short, fun journey through The Floyd's shorter, early masterpieces. the obvious similarities with the tracks is that they were all recorded in a studio over a four year period, and that they all have the psychedelic, somewhat ambient imprint Pink Floyd was well known for at that time.

it is an absolute joy for me to hear the popular and often re-worked 'Interstellar Overdrive' book-ended by the then-rare singles 'Arnold Layne' and 'See Emily Play'... and Richard Wright's 'Remember A Day' from 'Saucerful...' pleasantly sets off the rest of the album.

another terrific component of this album is that we get to see a nice slice of Floyd's first four years without highlighting a single member over another; i.e., as most casual Floyd listeners identify 'Piper At The Gates...' as a Syd Barrett-led effort... 'Relics' showcases the talents of the entire band in short.

'Relics', to me, is not just a studio compilation of early favorite tracks and rare singles, but an important transitional album that clearly set the stage for the third phase of Floyd; taking the entire world by storm with a refined style and sound that was universally relative, but deeply introspective and cutting... i don't think there would have been an 'Echoes' (1971), 'Dark Side Of The Moon' (1973) or 'The Wall' (1979) if we did not see that Floyd first developed layered, intricate songs as 'Interstellar Overdrive' (1966) and 'Careful With That Axe, Eugene (1968).

it has been said before, but 'Relics' is ideally suggested for newer listeners that want an introduction to Floyd and enjoy some of their early, well-known tracks.

i enjoy it over and over again!

"Julia Dream" is simply the most beautiful song in the world, period. I cannot understand for the life of me why many people don't agree. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?! The song is pure Heaven. It has the loveliest flute playing in the world, and also the most brilliant, soothing vocal melody that I've ever heard in my life. And the incredible, poetic lyrics make it even better. Believe me when I say this: if you love beautiful music, then buy this album just for "Julia Dream". I cannot describe the feelings that flow through me when I listen to this song. It's like being touched by God.
Oh yeah, the other songs are cool, too, but none of them even come close to that song from Heaven.

I first got Relics on tape, before it was on CD, and that was way back in High School when I was still exploring all that Pink Floyd did. The thing I like about Relics is its simplicity of sound. That's not to say that the songs are simple. They just aren't pure products of a studio with layer upon layer of sounds. My favorite track is Julia Dream. The melody is amazing. Other tracks like See Emily Play and Arnold Layne (which can be found on other CD's) are very good too. Actually, every track is good and it ends with Bike, which just confuses people that I play it for.

It's great to listen to these songs and be able to find the elements that were seeds for a lot of the later works. Hints at instrumentation, lyrics, and experimental sounds abound withing these songs. This is a very good CD that I highly suggest.

This bizarre collection of antiques and curios is responsible for getting me hooked on floyd. I remember getting it home and hearing "arnold layne had a strange hobby, collecting clothes, moonshine washing line..." then the riff of intersteller overdrive and I was totally blown away. I then listened to the rest of the album, mesmerised by such delights as the jazzy "Biding my time" and the crazy "Careful with that axe, Eugene". Relics is the perfect introduction to early pink floyd. If you haven't got into Floyd's music yet then you really need to and this seems like a good place to start. It has to be experienced. Their music is the point where artistic eclecticism meet large drug intakes to produce on-a-higher-level music. Relics is perfect for getting a feel for the band's massive inventiveness and great composing ability. All the tracks are from the sixties("Biding my time" has copyright from 1971 but was actually produced in july 1969). "Arnold layne" is the first single with witty lyrics that caused a bit of stir when it was released because many people saw it's transvestite subject matter as smutty, but as Syd Barrett said:"Arnold Layne just happens to dig dressing up in women's clothes, lots of people do so let's just face up to it...". The other Barrett-penned single, "See Emily Play" is pure pop genius with completely wired lyrics and a decidedly "toys-in-the-attic" harpsichord break. Two typically romantic Rick Wright songs lead into the oft-criticised "Julia dream", Roger's beautiful folk ballad that comes off perfectly (Nick did describe it as "f**king awful" but I disagree). "Careful with that axe, Eugene"(studio version) and the astounding "Biding my time" are timeless gems from the Floyd's consistantly unpredictable and brilliant catalog of madness and beauty. The former is a cartoonish yet somewhat horrific instrumental and the latter sounds like a cross between psychedelicised lounge jazz, genuine floydian tomfoolery, a great Gilmour solo and something that sounds like it came straight out of a sleazy Berlin strip club. The closing track is "Bike", one of the all-time most marvellous songs ever written. Relics gives a good taste of the music of pink floyd and the creative forces within it, containing all the right tracks to get you addicted. The material on Relics pretty much sums Pink Floyd up. Their ideas are wonderful things that only they could dream up, their music has an eclecticism but also a uniqueness that sets them apart from any other composer but most of all, in their early days at least, they could rock'n'roll with a sense of total insanity, kicking against the grain and always creating something "progressive" and "difficult" but ultimately delightful. You never know what you're gonna get with Floyd but you can bet it won't be conforming to any rule books and Relics shows this without being totally alienating. I really can't praise this compilation enough. If you like "Interstellor overdrive" then you should check out the "In London:'66-'67" ep (now THAT is what I call music).

...I'll just say that the choices they made were excellent, especially Interstellar Overdrive and Bike.

However, the real reason to buy this album (or to go on iTunes and just buy specific songs) is the six other tracks that are hard to find elsewhere.

The first is Arnold Layne, an early Syd Barrett single, and possibly the best Barrett song with Pink Floyd. About a transvestite, this song captures the essence of Barrett's songwriting talents, those of creating a quirky set of lyrics to go along with excellent psychadelic rock music to back those up. 5/5

Next comes See Emily Play, a song that hit #6 on the billboard. This is also a Barrett work, and other than a five second interval form 0:48 to 0:53, the song has all the pluses that make Arnold Layne great. 5/5

The third new song is also a single, but this one is by Rick Wright (the keyboardist). It is called Paintbox, and it is another solid effort. It is more superficial than Pink Floyd generally was known for, but it sounds very nice. 4/5

Julia Dream is the fourth new song. It is absolutely, stunningly beautiful, with very good lyrics. However, the music is what really stands out, especially the flute(?) work in the middle. 5/5

Careful With That Axe, Eugene can be found live on Ummagumma, but this is the only studio recording. It is faster and takes less time to develop than the live version, making it much easier to get into. However, after listening to this version and getting a feel for it, go get the Ummagumma version, and then get Come In Number Fifty-One, Your Time is Up off of Zabriskie Point (the same song, but in e-minor rather than d-minor, drastically changing the feel of the song and the emotions evoked). This song earns the lower rating, not because of its flaws, but because the Ummagumma version is so much better. 4.5/5 (P.S. Listen to the Ummagumma version in the dark with your eyes closed. But be prepared to wet the bed).

Biding my Time is perhaps the most interesting of the six songs I will discuss. It shows their early blues influence (after all, they started as a blues band, and they took their name from two blues musicians). It starts off slow, with very good lyrics. Then the rest of the song is instrumental, with a very interesting riff. Takes time to get into, but worth it. 4.5/5

Don't start with this album, but once you've covered the essentials, you'll be aching for these six songs.